Hammock



N 1954 H. A. CHRISTENSEN HAMMOCK Filed Oct. 4, 1951 I m m HMPQHHHHHH14770KNEYS United States Patent G7 HAMMOCK Harold A. Christensen,Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 4, 1951, Serial No. 249,760

2 Claims. (Cl! 5.-122) This invention relates to a structurally andfunctionally improved hammock.

It is an object of the invention to provide a unit of this characterwhich will be extremely stable so that there will be substantially nodanger of the hammock overturning incident to the occupant shifting hisposition or, in fact, assuming a position adjacent the side edge of thedevice.

A further object is that of providing a hammock in which a person mayrecline without the unit sagging and partially enveloping him; thisdespite the fact that rigid transverse stiffening members are notcontemplated for inclusion in the assembly.

Still another object is that of designing a device of this type whichmay be economically produced by rela tively unskilled labor and which,when assembled, will furnish a unitary rugged hammock capable ofprolonged use with freedom from all difficulties.

With these and other objects in mind reference is had to the attachedsheet of drawings illustrating practical embodiments of the inventionand in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the hammock;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation'thereof;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the lines 33 and inthe direction of the arrows as indicated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows one of the segments or units providing the hammock:

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view in enlarged scale taken along thelines 55 and in the direction of the arrows as indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of an end portion of thehammock;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the lines 7- -7 and in thedirection of the arrows as indicated in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of an end portion of the hammock embodyinga desirable reenforcing structure.

While the present unit may be formed in any desired manner and of anyproper material it is ordinarily preferred that it be provided by a pairof main sections preferably formed of canvas. One such section has beenshown in Fig. 4 and includes a body 10, the side edges 11 of which arecurved in an outward direction and the end edges 12 of the same beingpreferably blunt the outwardly curved side edges 11 on each side of thebody piece have arcs. These arcs which describe the curvature of theside edges 11 have radii of equal length. The body 10, therefore, hassymmetrical sides. In the hammock of this invention each hammock iscomposed of at least two of the body pieces 10. As shown especially inFig. 1 a pair of these sections are disposed adjacent each other andtheir side edges or zones connected by, for example, stitching 13. Thebody portions 10 which are secured together have identical side edges11. These identical side edges have identical arcs. In joining the twobody portion pieces 10 together along their contiguous edges by thestitching 13 as shown in Fig. 1, the two identical side edges 11 aremutually secured. So connected the resultant assembly will be bothtransversely and longitudinally curved. It will correspond substantiallyto the surface area of a sphere segment. The resultant straight line asshown in the stitching 13 in Fig. 1 is the result of the longitudinalcurving of the hammock of this invention in the plane perpendicular tothe general surface of the hammock. As the hammock is generallysuspended horizontal to the ground this longitudinal curve, which is theresult of forming a straight line in the mutually 2,694,208 PatentedNov. 16, 1954 attached edges of the body piece 10, is curved in thenormally vertical dimension. This is best shown in Fig. 2. Grommets 14may be disposed adjacent the ends of the assembly and serve to receiveropes 15 by means of which the hammock is properly supported inposition.

That support may conveniently be achieved by passing the rope aroundvertical members or posts 16. Under these circumstances and asillustrated especially in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the body of the unit willhave a natural curve in all directions. By this structure or design aperson reclining in the hammock, will, in conjunction with the latter,never present a center of gravity factor such that the unit will tend toturn upside down. In fact even if a person disposes his body adjacentthe outer edge of one of the segments 10 the hammock will not upset.

Also the material of the hammock body will be under substantially eventension throughout and will not tend to envelop or enclose the body ofthe user. In this connection it is preferred to employ a unit which willtend to maintain the hammock distended in a transverse direction. Tothis end a sleeve 17 may be provided adjacent each end of the device andreceive a spreader 18 conveniently formed of a metallic or plastic stripor spring body. The sleeve 17 is conveniently incorporated in theassembly by employing not alone the adjacent portions of the segments 10but also a doubling or reenforcing layer 19 adjacent those ends. Thatreenforcing piece may be secured against displacement by, for example,stitching. To further reenforce the parts at this point the ends ofsegments 10 may be turned back upon themselves so that the grommets 14pass not alone through these double-thickness end portions but alsothrough the layer 19.

The body of the hammock may be provided with an extension 22. When thelatter is folded back upon the body of the hammock as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 8 then, after the parts are secured together bystitching or in any other desired manner, a double-thickness area ofmaximum strength is provided. Through this portion the grommets or theirequivalents may extend, and no fear need be felt that these elementswill tend to tear through the material.

The dimensions of the unit may, of course, be varied in numerousparticulars. It has been found, however, that the desired advantages arepresent when the parts have generally the proportions shown in thedrawings and include, for example, an overall length of 9' 4" and amaximum width at a point intermediate the ends of the unit of 36".

Thus, among others, the several objects of the invention as specificallyaforenoted are achieved. Obviously numerous changes in construction andrearrangement of the parts might be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention as defined by the claims.

I claim:

1. In a hammock the, combination of a pair of elongated panels, at leastone longitudinal edge of each of said panels described by a convex arcextending along the entire length of said panel, the radii of both ofsaid arcs on their respective panels being of substantially equallength, means for attaching said arced longitudinal edges together so asto secure said panels together, a main hammock body formed by saidsecured panels having a natural cupped shape, a stiffening means aflixedto said main hammock body adjacent to an end thereof and perpendicularto said secured arced longitudinal edges, a pair of reinforcing pieceseach attached at an end of said main hammock body and providing a doublethickness at said ends and means associated with the ends of saidhammock for supporting said hammock in a suspended position.

2. in a hammock the combination of a pair of elongated panels, alongitudinal edge of the first of said panels described by a convex areextending longitudinally of said panel, a longitudinal edge of thesecond of said panels described by an are extending longitudinally ofsaid panel, said radii of said arced longitudinal edges of said firstand second panels being of substantially equal length, means forattaching said arced longitudinal edges together so as to secure saidpanels together, a main hammock body formed by said secured panelshaving a natural cupped shape, a stiffening means afiixed andadiacent toeach end of said main hammock body, a reinforcing piece at each end ofsaid main hammock body extending from theend of said main hammock body,over said main hammock body to and including said adjacent stiffeningmeans and means receiving hammock supporting means associated With thereinforcing piece and the stiffening means at each end of said mainhammock body.

Number 15 Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Forbush Nov. 5, 1861Pratt Mar. 6, 1883 Farwell Oct. 30, 1888 Connery Apr. 12, 1910 EldridgeNov. 22, 1910 OReilly Sept. 18, 1917 Goudie July 11, 1933 Kearny May 15,1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1870

